The hail storms recorded on April 29 and 30 in the Valencian counties of Ribera Alta and Utiel-Requena have hit between 10,000 and 15,000 hectares devoted to the production of kakis and citrus fruits, causing losses estimated at 2.2 million Euro, according to La Unió de Llauradors.
The most affected municipalities have been Alzira, Benimuslem, Carcaixent, l’Alcúdia and Rafelguaraf, as well as Benimodo and Guadassuar to a much smaller extent.
The most affected citrus crop is Valencia oranges, with losses totaling 1.5 million Euro, since the harvest hadn’t yet been carried out and the sizes were large.
As for the kaki production, the losses amount to 800,000 Euro, since the hail could cause the fruit to fall.
The storms have also slightly damaged the appearance of stone fruits, as well as of vegetables and avocados grown in specific regions.
Last Wednesday’s storm hit mainly the Utiel-Requena region, damaging the production to different extents in the municipalities of Utiel and surroundings, Venta del Moro and surroundings, Requena and surroundings, Sinarcas and, to a lesser extent, Caudete.
La Unió said that the total value of the losses is still an estimation and that the real figure will be reported in the coming days.
Source: www.freshplaza.com
